“He’s more focused, he’s more disciplined and he’s committed to his team,” she said. “I couldn’t turn my back on that.”

So, with the children and parents interested and money from registration fees and fundraisers trickling in, the challenge then became finding a field in a township that hasn’t had football in decades. The school district provided a lot, and the alliance made it suitable for football.

Gov. Mifflin, which built a new artificial field, donated goal posts from its old practice fields.

But none of it would have happened without the dedication of volunteers and the support of local businesses, Gruber said.